How a couple made two average Hong Kong flats into a two-storey family duplex
Pair bought their dream home in city’s Mid-Levels then were able to get the flat below, and combined them into a warm space with plenty of storage for their keepsakes and room for their young daughter
When Sabine and William Edwards moved from Britain to Hong Kong 10 years ago, they visited Prince’s Terrace, in Mid-Levels, and found themselves charmed by its leafy, car-free atmosphere. Its upmarket prices were less friendly, though, so they bought a more affordable place in Sai Ying Pun. When prices in that neighbourhood began to soar, however, they cashed in and found a place on the street that had first captured their hearts.
Their luck didn’t end there. Four years after moving in, when the couple were preparing to welcome their first child, the apartment below went on the market, opening up the possibility of a duplex.
“We wanted it to be designer-y but not sterile,” says Sabine, who works for an events company.
“Neither of us is into the minimalist aesthetic,” adds William, a marketing executive. “So many places look the same these days and we tried to avoid that.”
“I designed around storage space,” says Chan, only half joking.
The Edwards are frequent travellers and have picked up plenty of furniture, artworks and knick-knacks from around the world, which they display throughout their home.
For the living room, Chan designed a system of wall-mounted shelves and cabinets accessible from both the living room and the adjacent study.
Like many old Hong Kong apartments, the top flat had a small, closed-off kitchen. The renovation opened it up and expanded it to nearly 25 per cent of the upstairs space, with room for a generous kitchen island.
“Both of us cook,” says William. “We spend half our time eating.”
Thanks to the redesign, it’s possible to prepare meals while chatting with people in the living area.
“When people come here, it’s actually odd to sit on the sofa. People gather in the kitchen, around the island,” says Sabine.
The downstairs flat was reconfigured to accommodate two spacious bedrooms – the largest of which belongs to the Edwards’ daughter – and a guest bedroom with extra storage hidden in a false ceiling. Redrawing the apartment’s layout was relatively easy as the building had few structural pillars or internal load-bearing walls. “That was one of the reasons we bought here,” says William.
Finding a way to link the two apartments was trickier. Hong Kong’s building code doesn’t offer much flexibility when it comes to installing an internal staircase but, thanks to advice from Sabine’s uncle, a retired architect, they found a solution she describes as “both practical and aesthetic”.
A staircase was carved out of a corner of the upper floor’s former master bedroom and the rest of the space was converted into a study, which is separated from the living room by a sliding door. In the evening, the Edwards keep the door closed to give privacy to their helper, whose bedroom is attached to the study. Sensor-triggered LEDs are built into the staircase so there is no fumbling for light switches when the couple head downstairs to bed.
The Edwards may not be fans of minimalism, but they wanted the apartment’s colours and materials to provide a neutral backdrop for their possessions, so they asked Chan to keep things simple. Grey and white are the dominant hues, with a few subtle highlights, such as a thinly whitewashed brick wall that allows some red to show through. Dark, triple-thick silestone countertops provide contrast.
The neutral backdrop gives the couple a chance to shape their space around the artworks and travel souvenirs they love most, such as paintings given to them by artist friends or cushions made from fabric the Edwards bought in Cambodia.
“We wanted all of that out in the open,” says Sabine. “It’s all these things that make it complete.”
Tried + tested